Ed Edd n Eddy: Senior Year Reboot
by Mr. Alaska
Summary: Everything is supposed to change as you get older. That is what everyone says, anyway. But what people don't tell you is how to deal with certain changes as they occur. Follow along with Ed, Edd n Eddy as they try to overcome their toughest challenges yet. High school life. Tests and exams. Jobs. Relationships. How will the Eds cope with these inevitable changes?
1. Time Moves Forward

Author's Notes: Well everyone, here we are. Yet another reboot. Been rebooting so much I feel like a junky out-of-date laptop or something. I know a lot of you were telling me how awesome the first go was, and I appreciate it. I really do. But as I said in the update post, I feel like it could've been better. It was too focused on the Edd/Marie aspect, and mainly had the other characters around only to REACT to the Edd/Marie moments. Didn't really give anyone else much room to grow, issues got resolved too quickly and simply felt rushed and unclean and out-of-character at some times. So much more could've been done whilst still giving the whole Edd/Marie some focus. Mainly I just want to make it MORE than what it is, and widen the view on everyone in the story and not just two of them. Believe me when I say this second go will give you what the last attempt had PLUS more. So, without further ado, let's get things rolling.

 _ **(Also! If you want a good illustration of how all the new redesigns of all the characters, go to DeviantArt and look up Freyamustdie for visuals! Currently have Ed, Edd and Eddy drawn and are currently working on the Kankers!)**_

Hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 1: Time Moves Forward

It was a quiet October afternoon in the small suburban town of Peach Creak and Double D sat at his desk in his fully labeled room, finishing up the homework given to him over the weekend. "Now let's see here," he mumbled to himself, fidgeting with the pencil between his fingers. " Carry the four. Subtract 16. Multiply by the difference. Factor in pi and…" As he worked out the problem, a pleasant smile began to form. "And there lies the answer," he finished, scribbling down the rest of the equation. "There. Another assignment completed."

Eddward "Double D" had changed quite a bit over the years leading up to his senior year of high school. He was still very much the bookworm and scholar of the Ed trio, being the highest achieving Honor Student of Peach Creak High's senior class. He even tutors other students who were having difficulties in the classes he excelled at. Throughout all of high school up until this point, Double D had managed to keep his grade point average at around 3.8, with the 0.2 points being directed to his struggling performance in gym class.

Physically, Double D had also underwent some changes. First was his height. Double D was never the shortest of the cal-de-sac kids by any means, but now he was almost as tall as Ed. He wasn't only tall, he was lanky as well, still proving to be the least athletic of the cal-de-sac gang next to Jimmy. Another major change was that now long black hair cascaded down the length of his back from underneath his new dark green cap. When asked why he decided to grow it out, Double D would lie and say it was because his mother always thought he'd look handsome with it.

In truth, however, it was to assist in hiding the secret he still keeps from all besides Ed and Eddy.

His attire had became more formal since his jr. high days as well. He now wore a white short sleeved dress shirt. His long since signature black hat had also been replaced by a smaller grey one. And finally, he had on a pair a purple cargo pants.

Double D reached down and picked up the thermos that he had set next to his desk. Unscrewing the lid and pouring himself a cup of warm green tea, he glanced out his window. It was late October. The wind was brink but not unpleasant, only strong enough to slightly rustle the trees and spray the fallen autumn leaves about. Halloween was just around the corner, only a little more than a week away, something that became obvious if you so much as glanced at the cul-de-sac. Decorations were everywhere, be it jack-o-lanterns, plastic skeletons, or paper ghosts and witches adorning the walls and doors of the houses.

Letting out a pleasant sigh, Double D leaned back in his chair and let out a long yawn. He looked as his clock.

4:23PM

"Oh my. This assignment certainly dragged on longer than I though it would," he yawned. But, as he was about to put his now completed worksheet into his backpack, his pocket suddenly started vibrating. Curious, he pulled out his cellphone and saw he had gotten a text from Eddy.

 _'Oh, that's right,'_ Double D thought happily. _'Ed and Eddy both had interviews today at the Peach Creak Mall.'_

Opening up his phone, he read the message:

 **\- Hey Double D. Me and Mono-Brow got the jobs at the food court. Guess these guys must be really desperate for help or something. Whatever. They want us to start Tuesday after school. T _ T**

"That's wonderful news Eddy," Double D replied, talking into his cellphone using the voice-to-text feature. "I'm really proud of both of you. Truly I am. You two have finally pulled yourselves up by your bootstraps and entered the world of employment. It may only be a part-time position, but I'm sure if you and Ed try your hardest, you two can become full-time employees in a matter of months, maybe even less."

It was about 30 seconds before Eddy replied.

 **\- Oh spare me, Sockhead. The only reason me and Lumpy are even doing this is because our folks are practically FORCING us and you know it. Dad was saying if I didn't get a job and start helping with the bills I'd be living in my van and walking when the gas eventually ran out. Working at a hole in the wall burger joint sucks, but living is a van doesn't sound any better. At least with the burger joint I get paid.**

Double D sighed. "Be that as it may," he said into his phone, "I'm still happy for the both of will you. This will be your first taste of independence. I swear that first paycheck with make everything worth it. What positions did you two get?"

 **\- I'll be working up front as a cashier and Ed will be manning the grill and deep fryer. At least the lump is excited. Dad said he'd be taking a portion of my first few checks as "back-payment" for all the trouble we got into over the years. Another part goes to my "Post-School" funds and the rest goes toward gas. Lucky me, huh?**

Double D couldn't help but let out a snicker. Of course Eddy would get a job as a cashier, the employee who handles the transfer of money. It's actually quite poetic, really.

"Saving up your money for after graduation is actually really smart and responsible Eddy," Double D assured. "Most apartments don't come cheap, you know. At least not the respectable apartments, anyway. I don't know about you, but the idea of living paycheck from paycheck doesn't sound all that appealing to me, personally."

 **\- Fine. Sure. Whatever you say, Sockhead. Me and Mono-Brow are gonna be hanging around the mall for a while. Hurry up and head on down here, will ya? You can help us with our homework, Mr. Honor Roll.**

Double D cocked an eyebrow. "And by "help" I'm assuming you mean "copy" right Eddy?"

 **\- Pretty sure it's the same thing, Einstein.**

"It is most certainly NOT the same thing, Eddy," Double D sighed. "It's cheating, and you of all people should know I absolutely abhor cheating of any kind. It's not honest."

 **\- Relax there, boy scout . Me and Lumpy will just throw in some wrong answers so that it doesn't look suspicious. Plus we'll both get different answers wrong, just in case. Don't worry… Besides, I'll also throw in some free rides to and from school. Deal?**

Double D rolled his eyes as he drank more of his green tea. Same old Eddy. Always looking for an easy way out and bargaining for what he wants. "Fine, I'm on my way," Double D sighed, against his better judgment. "I'll be there shortly. Where will you and Ed be waiting for me?" He knows he really shouldn't encourage or indulge him. He knows he should make both Ed and Eddy do their own work, especially the work that actually challenges them to improve themselves academically.

But, alas, one thing that remained the same after all these years is Double D's habit to always gravitate towards being the group's pushover/nice-guy.

 **\- Ha! Knew you'd come around. Me and Ed'll be at or around the food court. See ya there, Double D.**

With that said, Double D finished off the rest of his tea. "Remember. Small steps Eddward," he told himself, as he screwed the lid/cup back onto his thermos. "I'll get through to them eventually." Slinging his backpack over his shoulders, he pushed his chair into his desk and made his way out the door.

 _(Ten Minutes Later)_

Double D entered the Peach Creak Mall with one hand in his pocket, a mathematics textbook in the other, and his nose buried in said textbook.

Luckily for him he arrived at the opportune time of day when there weren't so many people shopping, so he was able to grab a good parking space near the front of the mall. Coincidently, he ended up parking his preowned silver 1999 Saturn right next to Eddy's vehicle; the repaired and refurbished retro van they discovered all those years back in the Peach Creak Junkyard. It was two summers ago when Eddy had the idea to fix up the rusted and battered van. He said it had character. It almost took the entirety of the summer vacation to get the van to it's former glory. There was so much cleaning, fixing and replacing that went into getting it to run properly again. But with his dad's and Ed's help, they were able to bring the junked van back to life.

 _'Ah, the memories,'_ Double D thought to himself, turning the page of the textbook as he passed through the automatic sliding doors of the mall. _'I can't believe it's been so long. Hard to believe we were able to make that old van drivable again. I've got to admit it. When Eddy wants something, he'll do whatever it takes to get it.'_ Tucking the textbook underneath his arm, Double D glanced around the massive sales-floor of the Peach Creak Mall, seeing a couple of familiar faces.

The first familiar face he spotted belonged to Nazz.

She was seen perusing through one of many teen magazines in the mall's bookstore. Nazz hadn't changed all that much over the years. She was still the kind-hearted and sometimes ditzy cheerleader she had always been. Her blonde hair was the same, though only slightly longer and adorned with various colorful hair clips. She was in her normal attire, which consisted a loose-fitting white cotton top, a light blue jacket wrapped around her waist with a pair of blue-jeans with holes overtop the knees and a pair white slip-on shoe.

Beside her, leaning against a bookshelf lazily thumbing through a motorcycle magazine stood Kevin.

Another pleasant development over the years was that Kevin, who once served as sort of a bully towards the Eds were now on relatively good terms with the boys. And although the jock still called them dorks from time to time, that was simply an old habit he never tried to be rid of. He had become slightly more muscular, which served him well seeing as how he was now Peach Creak High's football captain. He had grown out his hair a bit as well, which was now a fiery red mullet brushed back and held down with his trademark cap. Kevin also wore a black muscle-shirt, baggy camouflage cargo shorts and brown hiking boots.

It was a largely known open secret that Nazz and Kevin had finally gotten together during the course of the previous summer. It was now considered odd if you ever saw one without the other close by. Though, if pressed for an answer, the two would either deflect the question elsewhere or dodge it all together.

"Hello there Double D Ed-Boy!"

Right before Double D was about to step onto the escalator leading up to the food court on the second floor, the voice of an all too familiar "son of a shepherd" called out to him from behind.

Rolf, who was now the president of the Peach Creak High's Agriculture Club, is one of the cul-de-sac kids who have changed the most drastically. All those years of cultivating and toiling with his family's farm work (with Ed assisting him on numerous occasions) left Rolf with well-toned arm and leg muscles. He now towered over all the rest of the cal-de-sac residents and, if he wasn't mistaking, was also the tallest student in the entire school. His long blue hair remained more of less the same, but now the farm-boy now sported a bushy blue soul patch. His attire consisted of a tattered and dirt-stained white t-shirt, a pair of denim overalls and brown leather work boots.

"Oh, greetings there Rolf," Double D chimed happily, giving the farmer a polite wave. "What a pleasant surprise. How are you doing this evening?"

"Rolf is doing well, Brainy Ed-Boy," Rolf answered happily, hands buried in his overall pockets. "Rolf just wanted to thank you for all the after school teachings you have given me. Nana and Papa were very please with the improvement in Rolf's classes. They were so thrilled about Rolf's grades, they gave Rolf the day-of-sater off from chores," he said, flashing Double D a mile long grin. "Rolf can not remember the last time he had a day off from chores. "

"That is wonderful news, Rolf. But thanks aren't necessary, I assure you," Double D said reassuringly, waving off the thanks. "Just the fact you are excelling at classes you once struggled with is thanks enough for me. As a tutor, helping my fellow students succeed academically is my duty, one which I take great pride and enjoyment in."

"Poppycock!" Before Double D could react, Rolf had him in a bear hug and hoisted him off the ground. "Rolf insists you join Rolf's family for dinner on two moons from now! Nana is making her famous swine, goat-cheese and cabbage stew with pickled and roasted radishes. It is Rolf's favorite and Nana only prepares it when she is pleased with Rolf, so you are invited to join us in the feast!"

Double D paused before answering. He gazed upon the overjoyed smile Rolf had plastered on his face and couldn't help but grin and sigh. Even after all this time, Rolf retained his sincere earnestness, his folksy old time mannerisms and way of speech. It was quite charming, in a way, watching someone from a completely different way of life assimilate into one's society. "I would be honored, Rolf," Double D answered reluctantly, though keeping a convincing smile.

Rolf's smile grew. "Splendid! I shall go inform Papa and Nana immediately," he said, dropping the honor student on the ground before abruptly running off. "Prepare your scrawny belly, Head in Sock Ed-Boy," Rolf called over his shoulder.

"Dusty dusty dusty," Double D muttered to himself, as he franticly started to dust himself off. "Still hasn't grasped the concept of inappropriate physical contact and personal space, as it seems," he continues, stepping onto the escalator. "It certainly is a good thing Mother and Father are out of town on business, I suppose. Surely they wouldn't mind me having dinner at another house…." After seeing he was now as cleans as was before his encounter with Rolf, the boy let out a soft sigh. "Maybe it might be a good idea to skip lunch that day, just in case."

Finally reaching the top, it was then that Double D finally saw his friends, both sitting at one of the many tables in front of their new place of employment, Jono's Burgeria. Eddy was messing around on his phone, while Ed laid atop a table with his nose buried in a comic.

Eddy, without a doubt, had changed even more drastically than Double D and Rolf had. During his second year of high school Eddy had underwent a frightening growth spurt, much to his pleasure. Once the shortest of all the cal-de-sac kids, he was now even taller than Ed and almost as tall as Rolf. Not only that, but now he was even bulkier as his brother. His hair had also grown out. Now Eddy had a full head of jet black hair which was both combed back slightly and spiked, as well as a small fuzzy soul patch. He wore a light lavender short sleeved V-neck, baggy jeans and a pair of shabby blue sneakers.

Ed had also went through a few changes over the years. He had grown slightly taller, but not in the same proportions as the rest of the cal-de-sac kids, though still being slightly taller than Double D, while not quite being as tall as Eddy. He had also grown out his hair as well, almost resembling a messy red mullet if it were only slightly longer in the back. Ed was also now sporting a very light fuzzy goatee. Ed wore a light red overskirt with the sleeves messily torn off at the elbow and a black shirt underneath with a green cartoonish cthulhu on it. And finally, Ed had on a pair of navy green cargo pants and a pair on black boots.

As Double D approached the two friends, he started to overhear their conversation.

"I keep telling ya, Mono-Brow," Eddy said, "you need to stand up to Sarah at least once in you're no-chin having life. I mean, look at ya! You're a goddamn high school senior and you still take orders from your tween sister and her froufrou boyfriend. Do you have any idea how sad that is?"

"But Eddy," Ed whined, not taking his eyes from the comic, "you know how Sarah gets when I don't do as she says." He turns a page. "Sarah gets louder, meaner, stronger and bite-ier. She must be half she-devil or something, I tells ya…" He then sighs. "I'm just not yet strong enough to defeat this evil, Eddy."

"Evil-shmevil, Lumpy. She's nothing but a spoiled little brat and you know it. All you need to do is grow a damn backbone," Eddy challenged. "If all you ever do is roll over whenever she starts bossing you around, nothing will EVER change. You're the OLDER brother, remember? As in higher up on the hierarchy? Higher up on the totem pole? The alpha? Geez!" He was about to continue until he saw Double D. "There you are, Sockhead. Took you long enough."

Ed sat up and looked over the top of his comic. "Hiya Double D," he exclaimed, franticly waving the hand that held the comic at Double D. "Me and Eddy got jobs! Now I'll be able to buy my own chickens instead of always going over to Rolf's to play with his!"

"So I heard," Double D chuckled, slipping his backpack from his shoulders and plopping it on the table, before pulling out the math homework, "and I'm very proud of you, Ed. It's nice to see you excited about diving into the world of employment. If only Eddy shared your enthusiasm." Eddy shot Double D a tired/annoyed look as he snatched the assignment from his know-it-all friend's hands. "…. Though, I feel as if buying the proper _accommodations_ for a possible pet chicken would be the wiser decision. Like a roomy cage and quality straw for roosting. Wouldn't you agree?"

"…." Ed stared blankly at Double D for a moment. "… But I already have a washing machine, Double D… And lots of sponges."

"… Ed, you can't honestly be thinking about using your _washing machine_ as a home for a pet," Double D stated, massaging the bridge of his nose. "First of all, your washing machine isn't big enough to house a chicken comfortably. Secondly, it is used for washing clothes, and nothing more."

"Ha," Eddy laughed, scribbling down answers from Double D's completed sheet. "You think Ed actually uses that thing? I would've thought him using it to store his camera would've proved you otherwise."

"Regardless," Double D droned, "you can't use your washing machine as a chicken coop, Ed. No matter how little you use it for it's intended function…. Or use your collection of damp, moldy sponges as a substitute for straw…. Honestly Ed, I'm more than certain Rolf would happily help you build a chicken coop and lend you some of his straw if you'd just ask him."

"You really think so?" Ed asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"Most certainly, Ed," Double D replied, sitting next to Eddy who was just about finished with his copying. Leaning back against the table, Double D let out a loud yawn and glanced down at his wrist watch.

4:45PM

"Aaaaaaaaand there," Eddy snickered, handing Double D back his math homework. "That atta be enough to convince Mr. Murphy. I'll get four answers wrong and Ed will get eight wrong. Can't have Mono-Brow getting to many right, now can we?"

Double D sighed and shook his head in disappointment as Eddy walked over to Ed and handed him his filled-out worksheet. Once again, Double D has put his integrity as both an honor student and an advocate of not shortcutting and cheating aside so that his friends could keep their C- grade average. He has lost count of all the times he had insisted on them putting an effort into trying to do the work themselves. And yet, every time when it comes down to a particularly difficult class assignment, Double D finds himself doing the work for both his lazier friends….

Though, he doesn't know why this still bothers him. It wasn't like this was something new. Every since middle school this had been the pattern when it came to homework or class assignments. Sure, it wasn't the case for every assignment. But still, that had been the case for far more times than he cares to admit. _'I suppose there isn't any use in changing things now,'_ Double D thought, as he closed his eyes and stretching out overtop the table, his arms folded behind his head. _'What would be the point? I've already gone this long helping them along, after all. Besides, it's not like Ed or Eddy don't any work by themselves. Just not the hard stuff. Ed has been getting better at concentrating during class to a noticeable extent. And Eddy…. Why do I smell motor oil and ketchup?'_

"HEY SOCKHEAD!"

"DOUBLE D! LOOK OUT!"

The terror Double D heard in his friends' voices was a tone he was all too familiar with. His body tensed up. A chill immediately shot up and down his spine. A cold sweat quickly formed on his forehead.

Motor oil and ketchup.

Now he remembered what those smells were accompanied to.

It had been a long time since he had smelt those particular aromas alongside one another.

It could only mean one thing.

Slowly, Double D slowly cracked open his eyes… Only to be met with the mischievous grin of Marie Kanker, her long cobalt blue hair cascading down around either side of his head. "Hey there, Dreamboat…"

To Be Continued….


	2. The Girls are Back

Author's Notes: Alright alright. Before you all come at me with your pitchforks and torches, hear me out. Yes, I have been away for a while again. Yes, I did it **RIGHT** after coming back from my **FIRST** hiatus. And yes, you all have every right to be annoyed with me, regardless of the reasons for me newest absence. But in my defense, I actually had a legit reason for my not being here, other than constantly being busy with work and other personal stuff. The thing is, I wanted to surprise everyone who follows my most recent stories like this, Son of a Mercenary: The Reboot, Return to the Falls and The Breaking Point by writing a chapter for every one of them and posting them at the same time. It was about two months after I had posted the first chapter of THIS story when I had managed to write up chapters for four separate stories in between my busy/hectic life. And when I was almost done putting the finishing touches on the last chapter...

 _ **MY COMPUTER CRASHED.**_

Everything was lost. All that progress was lost because I didn't back anything up... I was absolutely crushed. So, after that, I took another break just to get my things in order, spirit semi-broken. Currently on a short vacation from work, so I decided to give this another go. Sorry for all of you still waiting on Son of a Mercenary: The Reboot and my other stories. I promise I will get back to that right after I'm done with this update.

 _ **(ALSO! GONNA BE MIXING UP THE PLOT A LITTLE FOR ALL YOU LOVELIES OUT THERE, JUST SO IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE A RECAP OF THE FIRST ATTEMPT!)**_

 _ **(Also! If you want a good illustration of how all the new redesigns of all the characters, go to DeviantArt and look up Freyamustdie for visuals! Currently have Ed, Edd and Eddy drawn and are currently working on the Kankers!)**_

Hope you enjoy! And Happy Birthday to meeeeee! :)

Chapter 2: The Girls are Back

Double D's entire body went as stiff as a board as he gazed up at Marie, eyes wide open and nervous sweat gathering on his forehead. His breathing slowed and his limbs began to tremble as the all too familiar sight of her filled his view.

Marie Kanker, the middle child of the infamous Kanker sisters and Double D's childhood tormentor.

"Heeeeeeey there, Dreamboat," she repeated, arching an amused eyebrow at her prey's petrified expression. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Did you miss me?" The girl was leaning over him, her hands placed on either side of Double D's torso on the table and sporting a devilish grin. "Has anyone told you that you look incredibly peaceful when you're deep in thought? Because you really do," she cooed, slowly scanning up and down the pinned boy with her one visible eye. "What were you thinking about?"

From the current position he was in on the table, Double D was able to get a reasonably good look at the girl before him.

Marie had changed quite a bit. She now wore a light layer of eye shadow the same shade of her hair. Her shining vibrant cobalt blue hair, which once only went past her chin, now flooded down her shoulders and back like a waterfall, much like his own hair. However, she still had some hair covering a portion of her face, concealing her right eye. She seemed to be taller than before. If he had to guess, she was almost his height, maybe take a few inches.

As for her clothes, that had went through a few changes as well. Around her neck was a black spiked choker with a dog-tag reading "Marie Kanker" dangling from it. Now only that, but she also wore a spiked bracelet on each wrist, as well as had her fingernails painted black. Her traditional tank-top was now replaced with a grey T-shirt with a purple skull on the front and a good section of her midriff torn off, displaying her slim stomach. Not wanting to give the fact that she now had a black belly button piercing much thought, his eyes quickly drifted down to her tattered fern green cargo pants. Her pants were hanging onto her more defined hips with the help of a loose belt, with the buckle being a brass colored lug-nut.

"M-M-Marie Kanker?" Double D stuttered in a distressing high pitch voice, his body still refusing to respond out of shock and terror. "Y-you? Wh-wha? Oh? Ummm… I-I mean… Wh-when d-did you g-get back?"

"Yeah," Eddy mirrored harshly, arms folded across his chest and eyes narrowed at Marie as Ed cowered behind him. "Thought you three were gone for good to bum around Lemon Brook. What happened? They kick you guys out or something?"

"Are you here to torment us more?" Ed shrieked from behind Eddy's back, while keeping his eyes fixated on the Kanker before them.

"Got back yesterday evening, actually," she answered, slyly brushing a strand of Double D's own hair out from in front of his face, not even acknowledging either Ed or Eddy's questions. Marie then flashed Double D a triumphant grin and stuck out her tongue, revealing a tongue ring near the tip. "Yeah. Ma got fired from her job in Lemon Brook, so we decided to come back and finish up the book learnin' here."

 _Two years._

It had been almost two years since Double D had last seen Marie or either of her sisters.

That was primarily because they had to transfer to Lemon Brook High at the beginning of sophomore year. From what he could gather from the rumors circulating at the time, it was a combination of their poor grades and appalling attendance record. Though, in actuality, it may have had something to do with the fact that their mother had gotten a new job in Lemon Brook, which called for a relocation for more convenience.

Not that anyone from the cul-de-sac had any particular complaints on the issue. Especially not from Ed, Edd or Eddy, for that matter. Every single one of the resident children had one form of grudge or another against one or all of the sisters. For the summer before and during their freshman year of high school, the Kanker sisters had served as the neighborhood's personal bullies and harassers. So, when the word got out that the Kanker sisters were seemingly leaving Peach Creek for good, needless to say everyone was overjoyed.

None more than the Eds, obviously. Sure, the Kankers also bullied the other cul-de-sac kids from time to time, but none of them received as much attention from the sisters as the Eds did. None of them had ever had to be constantly be looking over their shoulders on a daily basis. None of them had to be ready to drop everything and hi-tail it at the very sight of the sisters. That was something Ed, Edd and Eddy had to deal with when it came to the Kankers, and were immensely glad to be rid of.

But now, it seemed as if they had returned.

Which only left one question...

 _Where were the other sisters?_

"Look at that, May. Marie found our boyfriends," came a feminine, yet rough voice from behind both Ed and Eddy. "And damn, looks like I can't call him "Shrimp" anymore, can I? Sweet Eddy is even beefier than that douche-bag older bro of his."

"Hehehehe! You sure got the right, Lee," came another feminine voice, this one with a slightly goofiness to it. "But it looks like my Lamb Chop is the same as when I left him. Only now he looks more clever with those glasses of his. Doesn't he look dreamy?"

It was as if the temperature of the room had suddenly dropped several degrees when the voices of Lee and May Kanker was heard coming from behind the two Eds. The Eds in question both momentarily whitened, followed by them immediately leaping away from the source of the voices before twirling around.

And there they were, stepping off the escalator.

Lee Kanker stood out the most, at least compared to May. She was the tallest of the three sisters, almost being as tall as Eddy. Her bright red hair was still as curly as it was two years ago. But it had also grown out by a considerable length, causing it to droop down to her shoulders, with her bangs still concealing her eyes from everyone.

Lee wore a short sleeve white blouse with red dots scattered about, similar to the shirt she had worn from two years ago. Atop that was a plaid over-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She also had on a pair of baggy blue jeans with chains dangling from each pocket, as well as a pair of brown Ugg boots.

"Well well well," Lee said, placing her hands on her hips and eyeing the defensive Eddy up and down approvingly. "Looks like you ain't no "Little Eddy" anymore, are ya big guy?"

"Kaaaaaaankers," Eddy growled, sending Lee a sneer of distaste. "I thought I smelt trailer trash somewhere. Figured it would've had to be you guys. Surprised you guys aren't in jail or something."

"Ooooh. Catty," Lee snickered, lifting a part of her bangs to wiggle an eyebrow at the boy. "Seems you've grown a backbone over the years. I'm proud of ya." She then winked at him, which only garnered a sour scowl from Eddy. "You're so cute when you're trying to act tough."

"Bite me, Kanker," Eddy sneered, raising the eldest sister the middle finger. "I ain't acting, ya got that?"

Though, as he said that, the trembling in Eddy's legs became too much for Lee to ignore. "Not until you buy me dinner first, big boy," Lee chuckled. "But I admire the enthusiasm. Keep it up and I just might let you take me out on the town later."

Eddy's face reddened in either what could be anger, embarrassment, or both. "A-as if," he denied, a single beed of sweat tricking down the side of his face

A wicked grin stretched across Lee's face. _Gotcha._ "HA! There you go with that tell of your's, tough guy," she cackle, pointing a finger at the boy across from her. "Good job, you just outed yourself." She then shook her head in disappointment. "And you were doing so well, too. I was even willing to ignore the fact your legs were wobbling more than a baby moose's."

"Screw off," Eddy all but barked, now white knuckled and grinding his teeth.

As that was going on, Double D glanced at May, who merely stood beside Lee and gave a frightened Ed a seemingly innocent wave and smile.

May, much like Ed, hadn't really changed all that much. At least as physical appearance goes. She was still the shortest of the three sisters, but not by much with being only an inch or so shorter than Marie. Her blond hair was more or less the same length as before, but now done up in a ponytail going partway down her back.

May's attire was surprisingly formal, at least when compared to Lee and Marie's. She had on a long sleeved white t-shirt with a drawing of stereotypical green big-headed alien in the middle, with a red formal dress vest over top that and a pair of hoop earrings. May also wore a black skirt that went down just past her knees, as well as white leggings and a pair of red sneakers.

"Hiiiiiiiya Big Ed," May said, waving happily at the boy in question. "You sure look snazzy with those glasses. Much more smarter, even. Did you miss me?"

"NOOOOOOO," Ed screamed over-dramatically, right before diving underneath and behind a nearby table. "Begone, vile she-beast from the pits of Hades! You are not wanted here!"

May simply raised an amused eyebrow and grinned. "You're so funny, Big Ed. Nice to see you haven't change." May then began to circumnavigate the table.

"BACK! STAY BACK," Ed bellowed, instinctively matching her movements and repositioning himself across from her. "No more kisses for Ed! He doesn't want none!"

"I wasn't going to kiss you, silly," May chuckled, opening her arms wide. "All I want is a "Welcome Home" hug is all. I swear. Pinkie swear, even," she added, extending a pinkie finger, as if to prove her point.

It didn't work.

"No! You lie," Ed accused, still keeping the full length of the table between him and the blond Kanker. "You are evil! You wanna trick me and kiss me all over! Evil evil evil!"

 _'Okay. Calm down, Eddward. Don't panic,'_ Double D thought, looking around franticly from his laying position. He watched as Lee and Eddy began to circle one another, as if they were a couple of wolves sizing the other up right before they started to go for each other's throats. Though, whilst Eddy's expression was more around unadulterated hatred and frustration, Lee merely looked like she was enjoying the scenario.

He than looked back over to Ed and May. Ed was cowering behind the table with his hands out stretched, as if trying to persuade May to stay on the other side.

Though, something was off.

Double D did a quick double check. Neither Lee or May were actually trying to smother either Ed or Eddy with unwanted affection… At least not like they used to, that is. From what he know about them, they would've been coming at them with considerable effort. But from what he was witnessing, May wasn't even trying to match or exceed Ed's speed as he continued to try and avoid her.

That was what was happening with Lee and Eddy, as well. Sure, she was actively trying to provoke Eddy and pushing his buttons, which WAS very much like Lee Kanker. But that was only a PART of what she had used to do. The other involved smothering and kissing, much like Marie and May would've done…

But they weren't following through.

Double D then looked back up at Marie, who looked down at him with her signature devilishly smug and satisfied smirk. Her face was close to his. Much too close for his comfort. Their noses were nearly touching one another. "U-ummmm," he murmured, trying to think of something to say. "M-Marie?"

"Yeeeeeeeeeees Double D?" Marie asked curiously, not picking up or down-right ignoring Double D's body language. "Is something wrong? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"…"

Double D thought about that question but instead chose to remained silent, choosing to rather focus on regulating his breathing and slowing down his frantically beating heart. He needed to compose himself and choose his words carefully.

 **ESPECIALLY** when it's Marie Kanker he's talking to.

"H-hello Marie. Ummmm… L-lovely day we're h-having," he tried again, before immediately regretting it. He mentally smacked himself for both how awkward it sounded and for when that did nothing more than cause Marie to snicker at him. An embarrassed heat started to gather at his cheeks.

"W-well… H-honestly… Ummmm… I-I wouldn't say I'm _unhappy_ t-to see you, per se," he continued, gathering up his composer for a second attempt. "I suppose y-you could say I-I'm more _surprised_ than anything else."

 _That was a lie,_ he told himself. Sure, he suppose one could say he was surprised to see her again. That much was true at the very least. But he was NOT happy about it. He wasn't happy about Marie and her sisters being back. He wasn't happy about his personal bully returning to intimidate him and violate whatever personal boundaries he had established for himself… Which was exactly what she was doing now.

When she heard this, Marie raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips in what looked like surprise. "Oh? Is that so?"

 _'Okay… Doing good so far,'_ Double D thought, swallowing hard.

"Ummmm… I mean… Well…" Once again, he found himself struggling to form coherent thoughts and sentences. "Wh-what I mean is th-that… W-well…" He stopped and took a sharp startled inhale when Marie began to twirl a lock on his own hair around her finger.

"You have _amazing_ hair, by the way," she said nonchalantly, inspecting the strands wrapped around her finger. "It's so sleek and smooth. What kinda products do you use?"

"…" Double D didn't answer right away. Instead he stared at her nervously, but now with a hint of confusion and bafflement. "O-oh? Ummmm," he began, taken aback by the unexpected compliment. "…. Th-thank you," Double D stammered. "I… Ummmm…. I o-only use organic sh-shampoos and conditioners… Daily… B-before and after school, th-that is."

"Ooooooh. So you splurge on that fancy expensive crap, huh? I can respect that," she replied, sounding mildly impressed and unraveling Double D's hair from her index finger. She then proceeded to run her hand through her own hair, looking non-plussed. "Yeah. I tend to stick to using the cheap stuff, sadly. Does the job well enough, I guess. Nothing like your's though."

He took another deep breath and tried for another attempt. "If-if you wouldn't mind, Marie," he finally managed, "you seem t-to be in close pr-proximity to my personal s-space… A-and I would appreciate it if-!"

"Am I too close?" Marie asked, cutting him off. Then she leaned down closer, pressing their noses against one another. "Am I," she added, in a soft whispering voice, "making you feel _uncomfortable_?"

"… Y-yes. J-just a little, I'm afraid," Double D confirmed. His whole body was trembling violently. "S-so, if you would be so k-kinda…" His voice trailed off when he saw a pleased, almost winning smirk appear on Marie's face.

"You've always been such a little up-tight pilgrim, Double D," she said, still using her recently adopted whisper. "You can't just straight up tell me to leave you alone, can you? Always gotta be the nice guy, no matter what…" She then smiled at him. A genuine smile… At least from what Double D could tell. "Nice to see that hasn't changed about you."

And with that, much to Double D's surprise, Marie proceeded to move away from him.

"Come on girls," Marie sighed as she stood up straight, pocketing her hands into her baggy pants. Despite being a sigh, it was loud enough so that both May and Lee could hear her over their respective bickering with Ed and Eddy. "We need to head back home and finish unpacking our crap. Ma wants everything done by the time she gets back."

"Ah come on," Lee growled, finally showing a new expression other than overwhelmingly smug superiority. She folded her arms and turned from her stand-off with a flustered Eddy, looking actually disappointed. "She won't be back for another couple of hours or so and you know it."

"Yeah," May agreed, sounding somewhat saddened herself. She and Ed were still circling the table, though now May was actually having to try to keep up with Ed's frantic shuffling. "We don't have THAT much left to unpack."

"Well too bad. I have the keys," Marie said matter-of-factly, twirling a set of keys on a ring around her finger. "And I'm heading home." She then turned around, slowly make her way towards the escalator heading down. "So you can stay here if you want, but you'll be walking home. Your choice."

Lee and May exchanged a quick look, Lee looking annoyed and May looking confused. "… Geez. Fine," Lee growled, before giving Marie's back a dirty look. "Have it your way, ya brat. We're coming." She turned to Eddy and gave him the "I'm watching you" gesture with her fingers before giving him a thumbs up. "Keep trying, sport. You'll get it one of these days."

She let out a cough of laughter when all she got from Eddy was another raised middle finger.

Disappointed, May let out a pout before folding her arms. "No fun." But as she and Lee began to make their way to Marie, she fluttered her eyes at Ed and blew him an air kiss… Which he, probably out of instinct, tried to avoid.

And with that, the Kanker sisters made their exit from the food court, leaving the Eds alone.

At first, there was just silence. Both Ed and Eddy stared fixedly at the escalator the Kankers used to leave, whilst Double D continued to lay sprawled out across the table, laying there in an anxious and exhausted heap.

 _They're back._

That was what Ed, Edd and Eddy were all thinking.

 _They were back._

 _The Kankers were back._

After about 20 seconds of nothing, Eddy was finally the one to break the silence. "Great," he spat, massaging his temples and slumping down against a table. "Just great. The Kankers are back. I thought we were done dealing with those bimbos two years ago."

"What are we gonna do now, Eddy?" Ed asked, looking to Eddy. When Eddy replied with nothing but a roll of the eyes and an irritated grunt, he turned to Double D. "What do you think, Double D?"

Double D laid there on the table, now wiping the sweat from forehead and face. He didn't answer. He just laid there, staring up at the mall's glass dome ceiling, looking extremely tired. "I'm open to any suggestions if you have any," he finally replied in a soft but exasperated sigh, not taking his eyes off the ceiling.

"… You alright, Double D?" Ed asked, picking up his discarded comic.

Again, Double D didn't immediately reply. He continued to lay spread across the table, taking slow controlled breaths of air. He didn't know why, but he was beginning to feel a little light-headed. Maybe it was the sudden surge of adrenalin, something that Double D hadn't felt in such a long time.

Encountering the Kankers tended to do that.

But, after taking another deep breath and registering that Marie Kanker and her sisters were, in fact, no where in sight, Double D slowly brought himself up and sat on the edge of the table.

"… I'll be fine, Ed," he assured, giving his friend a convincing smile. "But thanks for asking."

To Be Continued…


End file.
